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Thursday, February 23, 2012 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Objectionable odors outcome of olfactory oblivion Dear Annie: Last April, I moved into an apartment with one of my best friends. We get along great except for one thing: her cats. ''Renee'' was born with no sense of smell. She's normally very organized except when it comes to the animals. She forgets to clean the litterbox because she can't smell it, so I have to remind her constantly. The odor can become so unbearable that I no longer allow my friends inside. Also, her cats play with their food trays and water dishes and knock everything onto the floor. She never cleans it up. I had to confront her about this because it was attracting bugs. And when the cats throw up, I'm the one who ends up cleaning it because I know she won't do it. It is absolute- ly disgusting. I don't like being confrontational, and Renee is very argumentative. Anytime I've tried to address this, it falls on deaf ears. I've managed to survive this long as her roommate, so right now I am simply biding my time until I can move out. However, Renee recently commented that she doesn't want me to leave when our lease is up. I wouldn't mind living with her again if she would give up her cats, but I know that isn't going to happen, and I'd feel guilty asking her. Renee and I have the same circle of friends, so if I ask around about a new roommate, she'll hear, and it would hurt her feelings. I don't Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar want to ruin our friendship, because she truly is a good person and an amazing friend. I just want out of kitty hell. — Always Hold- ing My Nose Dear Nose: You have nothing to lose by telling Renee that she must take better care of the cats or you are moving out. She can clean the litterbox at regular intervals, whether she smells it or not. And any- thing that lands on the floor is visible to both of you. She may be an ''amazing'' friend, but she is a lousy roommate. Dear Annie: How can I get my husband and his sister to stop scratching and picking at their heads and ears? It's disgusting and looks terrible. They do it at work, too, and it's so unprofessional. — Tired of Picking Dear Tired: First ask your hus- band to see his doctor or dermatolo- gist to find out whether he has a scalp condition. If so, there is likely treatment that will alleviate the problem, and it also might help your sister-in-law. Otherwise, it would seem to be an ingrained family habit. That means it will be hard to shake, especially if one is unwilling to address it. You have no say over his sister's bad habits, but explain to your hus- band how off-putting this is, and ask whether he'd be willing to work on it. Because he is undoubtedly unaware that he's scratching and picking, your job will be to point it out, nicely, every single time you catch him. Dear Annie: I didn't care for your tolerant response to ''Sad Mom,'' who paid her son, ''Mark,'' $400 to essentially destroy their bathroom. She said he is stubborn and immature and refuses to take advice from anyone. She has reached out to him for more than two years with no response. A good, long shunning should do the trick. If he never comes around, it's his loss. If his sister wants to be with her brother so badly, she should call him up and invite him to her place. My husband and I are the parents of a son who means everything to us, but we did not raise him to think the world owes him a living. ''Mark'' is ungrateful, and his sib- lings need to support their parents. — Tired of Nasty Children in Wyoming Dear Wyoming: Difficult chil- dren are just that and do not always respond in a logical way. Parents must deal with them carefully if they want to maintain any kind of relationship. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Team Psycho in action Ashton Pierce won his fight in 56 seconds of the first round with a guillotine choke! A very impressive win; we were all very proud. He's got another fight lined up on March 17th, and I expect he'll do equally as well. An added bonus is that he also teaches some mma classes out of my gym, so I get to take advantage of his expertise. I fully expect to see him in the UFC one day, and I'll be proud to say, "I knew him when….." As for my female fight- ers, we had a fight lined up for Denise Bruckner-Gillen- tine. I got a call from a pro- moter in Denver, Colorado looking for a 112 pound female to fight one of his girls in a pro boxing match. I asked Denise if she was interested, and she was all for it. We trained hard, got her totally ready for the high altitude fight. Got all her paperwork in order. Got her bloodwork done, but, when I reviewed the bloodwork, I noticed it was a different hepatitis c test than the one I get. I let the promoter know that we'd be re-doing the test before the fight. We did- n't get it in soon enough, so they replaced her. Talk about a let down. We were pretty confident she'd have had her first win in that fight. Oh well. She is learn- ing, as I have, that at least 50% of the fights that you think you have will never happen for one reason or another. She continues to train in prepa- ration for whatev- er fight comes her way. I see a lot of success in her fighting career. I told her to get her passport, as you never know when you'll have an oppor- tunity to fight out of coun- try. Her weight class is very popular in Japan. In her kids kickboxing class, she had 3 boys who wanted to experience some fighting competition them- GRAND OPENING 60 minute with massage $25~$55 per hour Elite Skin Care & Spa Facials~ Waxing~and more Eyebrows $5 Gift Certificates Available Owners, Mike & Trisa Waelty 741 Main St., Suite #14 526-8713 Your tax experts 32 Years Plus Experience "Enrolled to practice before the IRS" Open Year-Round New Clients Welcome www.lassentax.com Enrolled Agents: Rose Hablitzel, EA Rex Cerro, EA (530) 527-8225 208 Elm St., Red Bluff All major Credit Cards accepted Courtesy photos Top: Pictured, from left, are Quintin Marshall, Denise Bruckner-Gillentine,Truman Marshall and Trevor Coates. Below: Pictured, from left, are Sam Sleezer, Ashton Pierce and Scot Davenport. Avery Vilche Fitness Buff selves. She took 2 weeks to train them for a point fight- ing (not quite full contact) karate tournament- Scott Halsey's Karate Tourna- ment in Redding on Febru- ary 11th. I was so nervous when I went to watch them compete. I'd never compet- ed in a karate tournament and had never even been to watch one. Truman Marshall went first. He totally went after his opponent and cracked him with a series of back fists and front kicks that won him his first fight with the other boy not even being able to score a point on him. Trevor Coates went next. He won his fight in pretty much the same fashion with his oppo- nent not scoring a point on him. In Trevor's next fight, he lost for not pulling his punches (he hit the boy too hard in the gut). Next up was Quinton Marshall. He also dominated his oppo- nent without getting a point scored on him. All this with only 2 weeks training. I can only image what these kids will do with a few months under their belts. The kids also plan on doing some judo tournaments under the guidance of my judo coach, Greg. I will be excited to see these boys throw some kids around in a judo tourna- ment. Anyone interested in sponsoring our "Mini War- riors," let me know. In regards to my fighting career, I had a possible opportunity to fight another of my hero's, Tara LaRosa. I've followed her for years. She's been at the top of her weight class since before I started fighting mma in 2007. I put my hat in the ring for that fight and had my manger contact the pro- motion to try to get me on that card. I was all excited at the possibility. This would be one of those once in a lifetime chances, the dream fight, the ultimate test of my skills. I waited to hear back for several days. Finally, my manager let me know that the promoter wasn't inter- ested in having me fight her due to my lack luster record (too many losses). I was pretty crushed, and I kind of still am. It's like getting turned down when you ask someone out (I suspect, it's been over 18 years since I've been in the dating pool, so my memory is fuzzy on that). The promoter did toss me a bone and let me know that Tara was game to fight me. That helped soothe the slap of rejection a bit. I'm sure that if it were up to her, she'd have no qualms in fighting me. We share a similar style of brutal stand up. I pray that one day, I get the chance to prove myself against her. That could be the fight that I could be con- tent to retire after. Avery Vilche owns Psycho Fitness & MMA, 1450 Schwab St. in Red Bluff.You can reach her at 200-0526 or vilcheavery@yahoo.com. C & C PROPERTIES 741 Main Street, Suite #2 Red Bluff, CA 96080 1-800-287-2187 (530) 527-2187 An Independently owned and operated Member of Coldwell Banker Residential Affiliates. FOR 24/7 PROPERTY INFO CALL 1-888-902-7253 AND ENTER THE PROPERTY CODE FROM THE AD. FORECLOSURES AND HOMES UNDER $200,000 2BD 1BA 942 Sq Ft $65,000 Prop Code 4379 4BD 2BA $72,000 Prop Code 4079 2BD 2BA 1680 Sq Ft $79,500 Prop Code 4929 1BD 1BA 912 Sq Ft $82,000 Prop Code 4129 3BD 2BA 1152 Sq Ft $110,000 Prop Code 4169 3BD 2BA 1450 Sq Ft $119,000 Prop Code 4109 2BD 2BA 1344 Sq Ft $120,000 Prop Code 4009 3BD 1BA 2200 Sq Ft $120,000 Prop Code 4049 3BD 2BA 1152 Sq Ft $137,700 Prop Code 4099 3BD 2BA 2216 Sq Ft $189,000 Prop Code 4229 TEHAMA COUNTY REAL ESTATE TEAM • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.redbluffcoldwellbanker.com See All Tehama County Listings at Tehama County Businesses! Online Ballots Only at www.redbluffdailynews.com Five Lucky Voters will be selected at random from all eligible ballots on March 1. Each will receive a $100 Shopping Spree at the Tehama County business of their choice! Vote for your favorite Ingrown toenails can be treated at home DEAR DOC- TOR K: I have a painful ingrown toenail. Can I treat it at home, or should I leave it to a professional? DEAR READ- ER: Ingrown toe- nails can really hurt. They are the best reason I know to regularly trim your toenails. Most ingrown toenails develop when a corner of the toenail curves down and digs into the skin. There's usually soreness, swelling, redness and warmth. The area may become infected. Whether or not you should treat an ingrown toenail at home depends on the severity of your symp- toms and whether you have a complicating medical condition. If your symptoms are minor — the toe is irritated and red, but not infected or very painful — you can try an at-home treatment. But if you suspect an infection, or if you have diabetes, circulation prob- lems or numbness in the toes, skip the home reme- dies and see your doctor. To treat an ingrown toe- nail at home, soak your foot in lukewarm water two or three times a day for 15 minutes. Massage the skin at the side of the toenail, gently pushing it away from the nail. You want to coax the end of the nail to be out in the open, not pushing down into your skin. This may take repeat- ed soaking and massage. Dry your foot thoroughly, then apply an antibiotic ointment to the affected area and cover it with a Band-Aid. When the toenail grows out, cut it across in a line Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. that mimics the curving line of the toe tip. Don't round the corners down. And don't attempt to dig out and trim the corner of the ingrown toe- nail yourself. If your toenail becomes infected or isn't better after a few days, your doctor or a podiatrist may need to remove the ingrown part of the nail. You may also need to take antibiotics to treat the infection. If you have repeated ingrown toenails, you may benefit from a procedure in which a narrow vertical strip of your toenail is removed. A chemical can be applied to prevent that part of the nail from grow- ing back. To prevent future ingrown toenails, wear low- heeled shoes that allow your toes to move freely. Keep your feet clean and dry. Cut your toenails across, going with the curve of the toe (again, don't round the corners down). And don't cut your toenails too short. The shorter they are, the easier it is for them to curve downward into the skin of your toe. Since you live with your toes every day, and your doctor and the foot special- ist do not, you can do more to prevent ingrown toenails than they can. You can often fix the problem your- self. The important thing is to know when to call for help. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Boondocker Ball The Northern California Veterans Museum and Heritage Center, 3711 Meadow View Drive, in Redding is holding the 2012 Boondocker Ball on March 31. The event begins with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the Redding Jet Center, 3775 Flight Ave. Tickets for the event are $35 regular seating, $55 pre- ferred and $400 for a preferred table of eight guests. For more information, call 378-2280 or visit norcal- veteransmuseum.org. Free workshops Home Depot will be offering the following work- shops at its Red Bluff location in March: Kids, 9a.m. to noon March 3 #20 Race Car; Every Saturday: 10-11 a.m., Lawn Maintenance and 1-2:30 p.m., Install Vinyl Flooring; Every Sunday: 1-2 p.m. Landscape Design For more information, visit homedepot.com/clinics. 7 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE!